Plastic and metal pipes have long been used for the conveying of fluids such as liquids and gases. These pipes can include connectors or fittings utilized to connect together different sections of pipe. Such fittings must be capable of providing a fluid tight seal over a range of temperatures, pressures and a variety of exterior ambient conditions. For instance, air conditioning systems for office buildings and residential buildings often include an indoor unit and an outdoor unit that are connected together by a gaseous refrigerant pipe and a liquid refrigerant pipe to form a refrigerant circuit. These refrigerant pipes are commonly copper pipes utilizing copper fittings, such as standard couplings, tees, and elbows, to connect respective lengths of each pipe together. Typically, in this type of connection neither the lengths of copper pipe nor the fittings have threads. Instead, the fittings have openings designed to receive and surround the entire circumference of the end portion of the pipe such that the pipe is held snugly against the interior surfaces of the opening in the fitting. A flux/solder combination or solder is then used to create a fluid-tight seal between the fitting and the length of pipe.
This type of connection tends to suffer from a number of drawbacks. For example, soldering the pipe and fitting together can be time consuming and labor intensive. Consequently, the cost of connecting the pipes can be expensive. Additionally, due to space restrictions or other conditions related to the soldering work, connecting the pipe and fittings can be hazardous and/or present a fire danger. In many situations the fitting is soldered onto the pipe at a distance that is only inches away from a building. Another drawback of this connection system is that a user cannot solder a pipe with moisture in the pipe because steam will develop and pressurize the pipe so that the solder does not flow in between the pipe and the fitting.